The appearance of Joe Hisaishi undoubtedly added a lot to this pre-Tokyo Game Show press conference; it could even be said that Joe Hisaishi's presence elevated the entire electronic exhibition to a new level.
In fact, similar performance formats would be quite common in the future, the most famous being the NieR: Automata concert.
That was truly grand and magnificent.
But now, in this Time of 1996, Aoki Haruhi was truly the first.
And he immediately hyped the atmosphere of the entire press conference to its peak.
The chief arranger of The Witcher, all the music was completed by Yoko Shimomura. In fact, she should have been the one truly serving as the chief conductor on stage today.
But, Miss Yoko heard that Joe Hisaishi was coming, so she handed the baton to Mr. Joe Hisaishi.
The most famous 'red moonlight' in The Witcher was the music used during the ultimate battle between the blackened female protagonist and the male protagonist in the final scene.
The first half was relatively lyrical and sorrowful, then slowly transitioned to intense, fierce combat, and solemnity, pushing the emotional peak before finally becoming void and peaceful.
The music itself was excellent and fully expressed the emotional resonance of the entire game.
Every Time players heard 'red moonlight,' their hearts would surge with emotion.
"Oh my god, it's 'red moonlight'! It's so moving, and it's even conducted by Master Joe Hisaishi. This symphony is too shocking, isn't it?"
"As soon as I heard this music, I remembered the last scene of The Witcher, when Mia was stabbed to death and fell from the tall tower. It was truly beautiful, like a butterfly."
"Uh... I feel like dead memories are attacking me. Playing The Witcher before, I felt the twists were too abrupt, but now that I recall it, it's all beautiful scenes.
Mia is probably one of the most tragic, yet most charming, female protagonists created by Pokeni, isn't she?"
"Yes, as one of the elders of the blood race, Mia was enslaved by the male protagonist and treated as a tool in the early stages. Later, she endured and erupted, finally becoming the final BOSS. I can deeply empathize with her inner hatred.
However, from a human perspective, one still has to kill her with a heavy heart."
"She's quite a tragic character. Now that I think back, Mia was truly good."
"Hahahaha..."
"After death, things are always beautified, I guess."
"Sometimes it feels like a matter of position. Her experiences twisted her, and racial hatred turned Mia into the ultimate avenger. These things were unavoidable; fate was already written.
Just like the Bloody Moonlight performed by Teacher Joe Hisaishi.
Cold, cruel, bloody, engraved in the moonlight, unchanging through the ages.
This desolate beauty is truly breathtaking."
...
After The Witcher performance ended, the music in the entire hall suddenly changed, becoming cheerful, and there was even a piano solo at the beginning.
The pianist's nimble fingertips danced on the keys, full of joyful atmosphere.
Countless people below were still immersed in the endless sighs of The Witcher just now, but upon hearing this music, their eyes lit up, and they excitedly raised their heads.
"Wow ~ Pokémon!"
"It's, it's Pokémon!"
To be precise, this was the soundtrack for pokémon 3d world, adapted from the original first-generation Pokémon soundtrack.
It's important to know that the initial release platform for Pokémon was Sega's GP, and the music hardware on it was quite simple, only capable of supporting very basic electronic music.
It was quite difficult to do orchestration and harmony because of the total capacity and hardware limitations.
And now, live at the event.
Performed in a symphonic manner, it immediately became high-end and sophisticated.
The entire arrangement, after being adapted by Joe Hisaishi, instantly became rich.
The original might have been a bowl of plain white sugar, but now Joe Hisaishi had turned it into a multi-layered gradient cake, containing not only white sugar but also cream, cherries, yellow peaches...
Although the main flavor was sweet, the texture became complex and rich, making people immerse themselves in it.
"Is this still the Pokémon soundtrack I've heard before?"
"pokémon 3d world, right?"
"pokémon 3d world doesn't even feel this rich. As expected, when something comes to life and becomes a multi-instrument ensemble performance, it's completely different."
"Yes, we really came to the right place today. Last year didn't have such a luxurious setup. I didn't expect the President of Pokeni to be so generous, directly inviting the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, and with Master Joe Hisaishi conducting."
"Ah... it's such a pity I didn't bring my girlfriend."
"Pfft..."
...
As the music played, various Pokémon ran through everyone's minds.
Many were characters from pokémon 3d world.
Each one was strange yet so, so adorable, making people smile knowingly as they enjoyed the music.
Just as everyone was listening with extreme delight and pleasure, the music abruptly stopped.
The venue suddenly went dark, and all the lights were turned off.
Everyone became a little flustered.
"What happened?"
"Power outage?"
"Power outage? This is Tokyo."
"Then what happened?"
"Who knows, let's keep watching. Pokeni should have its own arrangements."
...
Just then, the spotlight lit up again, a beam of moonlight shining on the steps below the stage.
A small man slowly walked onto the stage.
He couldn't even be described as small. If you've seen Tolkien's the lord of the rings, then he should be called a Hobbit more appropriately.
This was Mr. Yoshikazu Mera, the male soprano singer who sang the ending theme of princess mononoke.
If one had to say something, Aoki Haruhi felt that this gentleman resembled a miniature version of Wang Zulan.
...
Yoshikazu Mera suffered from a very strange illness since childhood.
It's called osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease, or porcelain doll disease.
Simply put, his bones are very fragile and break easily. Sometimes, spontaneous fractures can even occur because they cannot bear his own weight.
The reason Yoshikazu Mera is so short is precisely this; he has suffered countless fractures to date.
This disease is undoubtedly a great pain for him.
He even needs assistance to walk onto the stage now.
This year, Yoshikazu Mera recorded his first personal album, a very popular Japanese pop song collection called 'Mother's Song'.
It selected many nostalgic old songs well-known to people from China's Treasure Island, such as 'Moon Over the Ruined Castle','Suzhou Nocturne', 'Red Dragonfly', and 'Autumn Field'. The soft oriental melody, combined with Yoshikazu Mera's unparalleled singing voice, truly amazed listeners.
Thanks to Aoki Haruhi's recommendation, Joe Hisaishi finally chose Yoshikazu Mera as the singer for princess mononoke.
Joe Hisaishi smiled throughout, watching Yoshikazu Mera being helped onto the stage.
After he was brought to his designated position, the two staff members then left the stage.
Joe Hisaishi and Yoshikazu Mera exchanged glances and smiled at each other.
Joe Hisaishi gently waved his hand, and the music flowed slowly like moonlight.
Yoshikazu Mera clasped his hands in front of his chest, head tilted back, his gaze distant, as if looking at an unseen bright moon.
A beautiful voice spread from his small body, instantly stunning everyone:
"The trembling bowstring, bathed in moonlight,
Your heart, rustling in the moonlight.
The beauty of a sharpened blade,
So similar to that sharp edge,
Your profile.
Only the Kodama of the forest know the true heart hidden in sorrow and anger,
Kodama, Kodama...
This was also the first Time the ending theme of princess mononoke was performed in a public setting.
Before the movie was even released.
It could be said that Aoki Haruhi truly had a lot of face.
He was actually able to persuade Ghibli and Joe Hisaishi to allow him to introduce princess mononoke in such a special way at today's Tokyo Game Show press conference.
Not just a game, but also a movie.
At the same Time, because this song was so incredibly beautiful and moving, everyone present couldn't help but be stunned.
Yes, everyone was stunned.
That feeling was very strange. When Yoshikazu Mera uttered the first line, 'The taut bowstring is drenched in moonlight,' everyone felt as if they were bathed in moonlight.
The surrounding trees made sounds like ocean waves, captivating and enchanting.
Moreover, Yoshikazu Mera's vocal timbre was truly unique; a boy producing a voice softer and higher pitched than a female's, like the Kodama in the forest.
The music, like a bow, gently pulled at people's heartstrings.
You don't even know why, even if you haven't seen the movie and never knew what it was supposed to be like, images would appear in your mind.
And, as soon as the music started, the audience below was moved to tears by Yoshikazu Mera's singing.
So many people had glistening eyes, even they didn't know why.
Perhaps this is the power of music.
...
If one hadn't known beforehand that this was the Tokyo Game Show, any audience member who stumbled in would not have associated it with the word 'game' at all. Instead, they would have thought they had come to the wrong place.
Why would an orchestra come to a place like this?
And it was even conducted by Master Joe Hisaishi.
Tonight, Pokeni truly stole the show, and Master Joe Hisaishi was also quite excited as it was his first Time conducting game music.
Not only because he had established a good friendship with Aoki Haruhi, but more importantly, this novel mode made him really want to try it out.
In the entire venue, only music flowed.
Everyone followed the music, sometimes joyful, sometimes sad, all emotions stirred by Joe Hisaishi.
Some even forgot that today was actually a game press conference.
...
After the music ended, Joe Hisaishi, along with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, bowed deeply on stage, concluding their performance.
Countless audience members in the venue stood up from their seats, giving them warm applause.
"Amazing! To be able to hear such beautiful music today, there are truly no regrets in life."
"Pokeni is truly amazing. They actually thought of using such a method as an opening. I was completely broken down. My emotions are now stirred up, and tears keep flowing."
"Yes, normally playing game, I don't feel it, but suddenly hearing familiar music live, all kinds of memories flood my mind. This feeling is truly..."
"The key is this last one, it should be the music from princess mononoke, right? I don't even know why, but when I heard the song, tears just started falling for no reason."
"Me too, it's so beautiful, like magic. I can't control it at all, and tears just flow."
"It feels like my tear ducts aren't even my own; they're voice-activated."
"Hahahaha, so, this should be the music from princess mononoke, right? Then we'll definitely get to see princess mononoke today?"
"Mm-hmm, probably, unless Pokeni has developed some other new game."
"This music sounds exactly like princess mononoke, but I never expected Hayao Miyazaki, such a strict person, would be willing to let the music go first, and even perform it at a game exhibition.
Aoki Haruhi must be so favored by Old Miyazaki, right?"
They didn't even dare to use the word 'like', but directly used 'full of love'.
"Aoki Haruhi is too enviable. He must have saved the galaxy in his previous life, right?"
The applause hadn't ended yet.
The entire venue suddenly lit up.
...
At this moment, Aoki Haruhi, dressed in a white suit, walked onto the stage along the steps.
All cameras, including people's gazes, followed him closely.
Some people who were not very familiar with Aoki Haruhi asked curiously, "Is this Aoki Haruhi now?"
"Yes, yes, it's him, that damn guy."
"Wow, he's even more handsome in person, isn't he? I almost thought he was some celebrity endorser just now."
On the big screen, Aoki Haruhi's appearance was displayed, so everyone present could see him clearly.
This immediately added a few more points of envy from his peers.
Miyamoto Masafumi, President of Square, smiled bitterly and shook his head, whispering to Ken Kutaragi of Sony next to him, "All the limelight today has been stolen by President Aoki.
What kind of charm does he have that so many people are willing to help him?"
To be able to bring Joe Hisaishi to perform the music of his game, and finally to let the music go first in this way before the movie's release, is truly remarkable.
What's even more enviable is that this guy is also handsome, married a beautiful and rich wife, and is capable...
Is he even letting people live?
Truly detestable.
Ken Kutaragi next to him also had the same bitter expression, "Sigh, what can be done? This is probably Aoki Haruhi."
Before knowing Aoki Haruhi, Ken Kutaragi thought he might just be a pretty boy with nothing but looks, only able to rise through Nao Tsuda.
After getting to know Aoki Haruhi, Ken Kutaragi was also impressed by him.
If he were Hayao Miyazaki, he would probably fall in love with this guy too.
Ah~
Truly detestable.
He wished he could punch Aoki Haruhi's face hard twice!
...
Aoki Haruhi took the microphone and smiled composedly.
"Thank you, a big thank you to Teacher Joe Hisaishi, to the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, and to Mr. Yoshikazu Mera for bringing us such wonderful music."
"Some of you might not be clear, so I'll explain."
"What Mr. Yoshikazu Mera just sang is the ending theme of the upcoming Studio Ghibli film, princess mononoke."
"At the same Time, this is also the main theme of our eponymous game, princess mononoke."
Upon hearing this, there was an uproar below.
Countless people screamed loudly.
"I knew it was princess mononoke!"
"Great, no wonder Joe Hisaishi is here. It seems we'll get to see the true appearance of the princess mononoke game tonight."
This was probably the first Time in history that the audience's anticipation for a game was stronger than for Hayao Miyazaki's movie.
Aoki Haruhi didn't know if such a situation would occur in the future, but he was certainly unprecedented.
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